Beneath the Surface (Sign Up over)

A mask is a gift. Ponies put them on to protect their secrets, their emotions, even themselves, from others. A mask shows others only what you want them to see. It is a gift that hides that which you do not want to be seen.

But a mask is also a curse, for it is herein that deception draws its origin. Falsehoods and lies are crafted to hide reality. The most well-designed of masks can hide the most terrible and abhorrent of monsters. And few are drawn to consider the malice that lurks beneath the surface.

------------

A full year has passed since the changeling invasion of Canterlot. The day is remembered for many reasons; some, for the victory of Equestria over its invaders, others, for the victory of love over greed and hate, and yet others, for the wedding of Princess Cadance and Captain Shining Armour, the union of the decade.

But for a few, the occasion is not remembered with as much fondness. As saccharine as the incident seems on the surface, the fact remains that terrible things have happened beneath the façade of a quick battle. Ponies have died. Homes were destroyed. And, perhaps most importantly, the Canterlot Royal Guard was revealed to be impotent in the face of determined opposition.

Fast forward one year, and the Guard is far more efficient than it had once been. The result of the invasion had prompted a major overhaul in its organisation. New leaders rose to the top, taking command in novel and imaginative ways. Though the invasion has faded to what amounts to a distant memory in the minds of the public, it is a painful, stark reminder for the military of how the Guard has failed once before. And its commanders are determined not to see a repeat of it.

Which makes their panic in the wake of recent events somewhat more understandable.

Military scouts, tasked with monitoring situations outside Equestria's borders to assess the likelihood of a foreign incursion, have operated for two years without a single casualty. But a mere week ago, the corpses of an entire team were found on the banks of the Eastern Sea, scarred with what seemed to be the marks of magic - to be precise, the destructive, offensive magic of a changeling.

The Royal Guard, as a primarily defensive force, cannot risk Canterlot's safety by dispatching troops to investigate. But nonetheless, the case needs to be investigated. So the commanding officers have come to a decision.

Commander Ician, strategist of the Guard, has been entrusted with the task of assembling a team of combat-ready soldiers to execute this investigation. Emphasis on combat-ready; if changelings are indeed involved, as Royal High Command suspects, then the incident must be treated with utmost care and caution.

Only time will tell if the changelings have risen from the ashes of their defeat. In due course, they will throw off the mask.

And the monster that lurks beneath the surface will finally be revealed.

------------

Sign Up Details:

- All OCs are welcome, but since this is a canonically accurate universe, all characters with Alternate Universe histories will either have to revise them or pay a quick visit to the Multi-Dimensional OC Bar for a rendezvous.

- Please provide a link to your OC's character sheets in the comments below, so I can have a quick look through them. I can see no reason at this point to reject any sign-ups, but I have to keep an eye out for extenuating circumstances.

- For convenience's sake in case I miss anything, please add a rundown of your character's abilities in the comments.

Additional Details:

- Make no mistake, you can be killed. The slight Gore is there for a reason.

- Don't expect species in general to keep to their canonical depictions of power. Canon changelings, for example, possess a fearsome array of abilities which basically amounts to only magically-enhanced ramming. They will need to be enhanced. In essence, be prepared to be surprised.

Note: Feel free to clarify your doubts in the comments or in a PM.

That is all. May the blessings of Celestia be upon you, and please, for the love of all that is good, try not to die on the first day.

Last edited by Ician on Thu Apr 24, 2014 9:44 am; edited 2 times in total

Quick run down: Pyromancer and former guard and currently works as a blacksmith. He has some fighting skill and quite powerful fire based magic. His major weaknesses are ice magic and his tendency to loose control of his temper which makes him unpredictable he is also weaker in most other areas of magic. He usually carries a Sword and Meteor Hammer if he's expecting trouble (or wants to show off his skill as a blacksmith). He can use his weapons well at close and medium range relying on pyromancy to fight at longer range and to support him in combat through heating of his blade, forming areas of intense heat to direct the enemies, etc. He can create quite large fireballs even when calm and has quite fine control over the fire he makes but he is by no means a master and can quite easily overuse his pyromancy or loose control of his spells.

Brief outline: A highly resentful "hanging judge", blinded at age sixteen. Having worked six years as a judge, she is able to discern truth from lies to a good degree, and believes in justice above all. Despite being quiet and somewhat submissive when not in the courtroom, Divine is a truly terrifying opponent, dressed in full armour and wielding a greatsword. She mows unbelievably quickly, striking massive blows against her opponents at close range. However, she is not resilient, not does she have any magical defence. Attacked by either of these methods and she only has her armour to save her

Quick description: A mercenary ready to do almost anything to get money. Likes to get drunk and completely hammered at times. His main power is transforming into three different animals and possessing EVERY ability of that animal. That being, when he transforms into: Eagle: he can fly and has an amazing eyesight.... Sabretooth cat: speed, endurance and sharp teeth+clawsShark: can breathe underwater, swim fast, see perfectly underwater, etc.He also knows some basic teleportation, healing and levitation spells.

Basically that, minus the Goa'uld part of him, but he has found Naquedah in his travels; though he still has yet to weaponize it, he will let Ician know if he has made any use out of the dense material, aside from what is said.

Overview for this 'verse: One of The Guard's most creative blacksmiths, Stream came across two types of materials he has never seen before; one was dark and very dense, while the other was grey and incredibly brittle (he could crush it in his hooves, like wet sand). Bringing a couple samples back, the first material was able to absorb quite a few blows from what he threw at it, while the second one he tried to refine into a blade, but failed when the metal would not even glow to his hottest flame. Trying out a rather unique practice, he placed the ore in a specialized container and used his own magic to melt the ore, then quickly refined it and poured it into a casting basin, and when the blade solidified enough to be usable, he began to refine it into a blade, something that would be of worth to whomever Celestia chose to wield it. When he finished with the rough sword, (minus all the decor and such) he found that it was incredibly lightweight, and was far more difficult to bend or break, something that he never knew about the material it was made of. Finishing his work on the blade, he fashioned a second one from the remains of his previous attempt; a little shorter, tapering down to a point halfway through the blade, and cored with the former material, it was a perfect slashing/stabbing weapon for him; sharpness to cut and weight to drive it through. He gave the blade he made for the guard to Celestia, who had thanked him and said she'd give it to the one who earned it (though for this, if he/she wants, it can be Ician's blade, issued to the character before the mission begins).